A powerhouse Bayern Munich dominated the Champions League last season but the club's incredible run can also be attributed to a stroke of luck. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing suspended season, the Bavarians got the breaks that made them the 2020 European champions, according to Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp made clear that Bayern's UCL win was well-deserved as the team has all the elements of being a winner - an excellent coach in Hansi Flick and a killer lineup led by goalscoring king Robert Lewandowski. However, the Liverpool boss also observed that the German side benefitted from the scheduling of the games.
In the Champions League final showdown, for instance, against Paris Saint-Germain, the winning team traveled to Lisbon fresh from playing over 10 matches while their foes only counted four games heading to the European competition. It was clear that in terms of readiness, it was the side of Flick that is more battle-tested.
"Germany has also been a little lucky that, amid all the chaos with schedules, their schedule was best suited to the Champions League," Metro reported Klopp as saying.
But the Reds manager was quick to clarify that the Germans indeed were a force to reckon with as attested by their spotless record in the European theater. Since February this year, Bayern picked up wins and never looked back, and the trend started since Flick took over from Niko Kovac.
The German club ended the season with a 21-game winning streak and achieving a treble by picking up domestic trophies and the Champions League crown along the way. it was a feat that is nothing short of impressive, Klopp said.
The success is best explained by Bayern having the best players in every position and most of them are in the perfect age levels. It's quite obvious that the Bavarians are No. 1 in Europe because they are "sensationally well-equipped," said the Liverpool manager.
It helped too that Flick came at the right time for Bayern. Klopp underscored the fact that Flick impressed while serving as second to Kovac so he got the job when the latter was sacked. As it turned out, it worked well for the Germans.
"Hansi was lucky enough to have done such a good job as assistant coach to Niko Kovac that he was allowed to stay. And that worked quite well," Give Me Sport reported Klopp as saying.
The German boss also offered his insight on why Bayern defeated Paris Saint-Germain when both sides are fully capable of winning. The Germans got the edge because they wanted the UCL title more, which according to Klopp, spelled the difference.
